Make no mistake, law and medicine — the most elite of the traditional professions — have always been demanding. But they were also unquestionably prestigious. Sure, bankers made big money and professors held impressive degrees.

But in the days when a successful career was built on a number of tacitly recognized pillars — outsize pay, long-term security, impressive schooling and authority over grave matters — doctors and lawyers were perched atop them all.

Now, those pillars have started to wobble.

The piece makes it very clear–it’s not all about the money. But professionals that took on the impressive undertakings of making their parents happy Doctorhood and Lawyerdom are starting to feel like the gabillion-hour weeks, donkey workloads, and the basic lack of joy and personal freedom associated with their jobs… are depressing and, more often than not, pretty much bullshit.* They’re bummed out about it and they’re not gonna take it anymore (which translates to: medical school enrollments are down, kinda like housing prices). I seriously wonder how many Asian kids have been displaced by this development. Ten thousand? One hundred thousand?

Kinda makes “I’m dropping out of school to be a writer” and “I’ve gotta be me!” and “I work in Hollywood” sound kinda visionary, doesn’t it??

Source*keeping people healthy and saving lives is not actually bullshit. (Sorry, Dad.)